


Silver Linings

by Sphealrical



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Friends to Lovers, I'm sorry I know him as Blue so I call him Blue, M/M, Mountains, Pre-Canon, for sun/moon at least
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-19
Updated: 2016-11-19
Packaged: 2018-08-31 19:52:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8591395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sphealrical/pseuds/Sphealrical
Summary: It's been 8 years since Red defeated Blue, taking the title of Champion away from him and then promptly disappearing without a word.





	

**Author's Note:**

> In honor of Sun and Moon coming out here's the first chapter of a fic I've been writing! I just... I'm so happy they're finally free to be gay together on a tropical island. I'm so glad Blue finally got his boyfriend to stop being a hermit for long enough to get married and go to Poke-Hawaii.

You used to wonder when you were a kid in Pallet why it didn’t have a gym.  _ All _ good cities had a gym, you thought, and Pallet was the best city in Kanto. You never quite put together that a town isn’t the same as a city, but even if that had been explained, it probably wouldn’t have changed your mind. Pallet deserved a gym.

In the years you’ve traveled since you ran full-blast out of your hometown to beat Red to wherever Route 1 led, you realized that while Pallet would be a great spot for a gym, a gym would be pretty awful for Pallet. It’s too… peaceful. Life there captures comfort and domesticity in a way very few places ever accomplish. Children play freely outside without need for parental supervision, everyone knows everyone else, and unannounced visits amongst neighbors are not only frequent, but expected, because every house there feels like family. A gym brings competition. Strangers who challenge anyone and everyone in sight. It’s not _bad_ ** _._** You were once the kid battling trainers with years of experience on you, and now you’re the gym leader standing in the way between them and the Elite Four, and from both sides battling can be fun! But you wouldn’t shatter the peacefulness of Pallet to be Champion again.

Viridian City is the perfect place for a gym. Connected to the rest of the world, surrounded by wild pokemon, and with just enough amenities to keep it going without too many attractions to distract. Trainers from all over pass through daily, although only a handful have the required number of badges to challenge you.

Figures that the one kid who’s not only challenged you but  _ beaten _ you,  _ and _ called to challenge you again ended up giving you one of the most exciting pieces of news of your life. So exciting that after your battle (and, although you’d never admit this, a quick pic with them) you Fly immediately to Pallet town to deliver it.

You make sure not to run as you make your way through your hometown. Don’t want to alarm anyone, just  _ incredible _ news that you have to deliver right now no distractions. You’re walking faster than normal, but you’re definitely not running, and that’s a victory as far as you’re concerned.

“Good afternoon, Blue!!” A woman calls from her porch. You smile and wave. You  _ know  _ you’ve been told her name before, but you can’t for the life of you remember it.

“Can’t talk!” you call out in lieu of an awkward hello. “In a hurry!”

She chuckles and waves. You stiffly fast-walk past, eyes set on your destination. The patio creaks as you hurry across it, and you knock on the wooden door as soon as it’s in arms’ reach.

You’ve never been the patient type. You bounce your weight from foot to foot in front of the door. After a few seconds without response, you knock again.

“Coming!” a voice chimes from inside. You check your watch. Dinner’s usually halfway through by now, so somebody else is probably answering the door.

The door opens with a creak.

“Hello!” Your sister’s familiar voice automatically chimes. Your face brightens a little more as she recognizes you, “BLUE!” she squeals, scooping you up into a hug.

“Blue’s there?” a voice calls from the kitchen. Your mom peeks her head around the corner as Sis puts you down. “Blue! Why do you  _ never  _ call?” she jokes, “Now I have to add  _ another _ extra meal to our-”

“Mom!” You interrupt, pushing past your sister. “Mom, you’ll never believe what I heard today!” You run to the kitchen doorway and grab the frame, using your momentum to turn into the room. “Someone found him! Red’s on Mt. Silver!”

When you step into the kitchen, you see Mrs. Oak isn’t the only mother over at your house.

Red’s mom stands at the stove, hand on a spoon in the pot of whatever they were preparing for dinner, frozen in place by your words.

“Mt. Silver?” she asks, eyes holding a mixture of emotions that are tough to separate.

“Yes, ma’am!” you tell her, moving to the table and dragging a chair over to help her sit down. You’d needed a seat too when that kid told you they’d not only  _ seen _ Red but  _ battled  _ with him. “A challenger from about a week ago told me; they saw him while they were climbing.”

Mom moves over to Red’s mother and gently takes the spoon from her as you guide her down to sit in the chair. You kneel, so you’re below her eye level.

“I-” she starts, rethinking her sentence, “is he doing alright?” she asks.

“Well, enough to battle a complete stranger.” you say, “the kid didn’t give me much details. They just said they’d fought with some guy that matched Red’s description, and I rushed over here.”

She nods.

“He doesn’t call for 8 years, and he’s up on some mountain,” she mutters. Relief, disbelief, anger, and humor mix into her voice, “I’m going to kill that boy.”

You chuckle. “That makes two of us, ma’am.”

She sits for a second, still processing. “What exactly is Mt. Silver?”

“It’s a mountain between Kanto and Johto,” you explain, “there’s supposedly a lot of high-level pokemon there, so very few people have clearance to climb it.”

“So there’s no way for me to go check on him?”

You shake your head.

She nods, eyes focused on a thought. “Blue, I hate to ask for favors but do you know anyone I can ask who can go check on him for me?”

“I mean,” you shrug, “I can do it. I’ve got a pass.”

“Really?” your sister asks from the doorway.

“Yeah,” you shrug like it’s no big deal. You’re actually immensely proud of it. “When you beat the Elite Four, there’s not really any good competition anymore, so it’s hard to keep training. They gave me access to Mt. Silver in case I wanted to keep battling with pokemon that can actually keep up.” You wave your hand nonchalantly, like you practiced. “I could climb Mt. Silver for you. Heck, I can even get Red to come down for a little bit so you get the chance to see him.”

“You had special clearance to go up and check on your old pal who no one’s heard from in three years, and you didn’t…  _ start _ at that part?” she asks, amused.

“Whatever,” you wave your hand dismissively at her, “you’re just jealous that  _ you  _ don’t have a pass.” She opens her mouth to continue, but Red’s mom speaks before you can keep fighting.

“If you could, that would be amazing, but I don’t want to cause you any trouble…” she says politely.

“It’s no trouble!” you assure her, “he completely disappeared without:” you tick the list off on your fingers, “calling you, telling anyone where he was going, giving anyone any way to contact him, OR coming back in the  _ three years _ he’s been gone, someone’s gotta go talk some sense into him. I’m the only one available in Kanto right now, so it might as well be me. Besides, I never got the chance to climb it anyway, so this’ll be a nice opportunity.”

“But… you’re a Gym Leader, aren’t you? I’d hate to drag you away from-”

“You’re not dragging me from anything, trust me. It’s off-season for challengers, and even if it weren’t I have a lot more free time than most people think. Next time I get the chance, I’ll go up Mt. Silver, and I’ll bring Red down with me: kicking and s- no matter what.” you nod your head at her: mind set. “I promise.”

 

* * *

 

Mt. Silver is a ruthless hunk of rock.

Of course it’s no match for you, the Kanto Champion. But the further off count you get with how many wild pokemon have attacked, the more you see why only pokemon experts like you are allowed up here.

But, you have to admit… it’s a shame so few people have gotten to see Kanto from here. As you walk to the brink of the cave exit, you can finally see outside again; the view is breathtaking. If you strain your eyes, you could swear you see Pallet. The ground in front of you is covered in snow, untouched and glittering in the sun. When it snows in Pallet, all the kids seem to get to it before you, and by the time you make it outside, it’s been crushed under their weight into a brown-white slush of water and ice. This snow looks fluffy, like soft cushions ranging from 3 inches to a foot deep, and you’re almost tempted to flop face-first into it. If you didn’t have to worry about freezing to death, you might’ve done it: just to see. The cold air bites at your lungs as you take a deep breath of fresh air, and the snow crunches under your boot as you stop goofing around with the view to actually do what you came here for.

You set out up the mountain. You’re pretty sure the kid said this is the way they went, so you’ll just try and retrace their steps and see where that takes you. You’re bound to find him eventually.

 

* * *

 

You see him from about 100 feet away.

He’s… you almost wouldn’t recognize him if not for his trademark hat, the pikachu happily bounding --appearing and disappearing from the snow puffs in the process-- at his side, and the fact that he’s the only person stupid enough to be this high up on Mt. Silver of his own volition. He’s gotten… a lot tougher looking over the years, but you figure living on a mountain will do that to a person. He’s still wearing short-sleeves which scares you way more than the new muscles because it  _ snows  _ on Mt. Silver, and if Red’s been up here the whole time without a jacket, you’re going to need to tell his mother he’s gone insane.

He walks with his hands in his pockets. Every few steps he kicks up snow --like he’s out for a stroll in Pallet and  _ not  _ on top of a dangerous mountain-- and his pikachu leaps into the air to bite at the powdery spray.  They’re both smiling.

“Red!” you shout, hustling to catch up.

He stops. His head jolts in your direction. You caught his pikachu mid-jump, and it flops on its side in the snow in a small puff. It’s immediately up, though, pouncing its way in front of Red. It grounds itself and growls: cheeks glowing with the threat.

“Hey- no worries, sparky!” you placate, backing up a few steps, hands up, “I’m not here to fight.”

Red steps forward and kneels, resting his hand on his pikachu’s back. The pokemon looks up at him, and he shakes his head. It nods, relaxing from its battle stance as he stands.

[Hi, Blue] he signs. [It’s been a while.]

You huff, a touch sarcastically. “You didn’t make it particularly easy to catch up.”

He tilts his head to the side, conceding your point. [What are you doing up here?] he asks. Like- like you didn’t climb all the way up a mountain to find him. Like he’s just  _ hanging out  _ on top of some department store and you decided to pay him a quick, unexpected visit.

“Oh!” you exclaim, “what am  _ I _ doing here!”

He blinks, either not catching the sarcasm or unamused at your tone, [Yes. That’s what I asked.]

“Red,” you chastise, “what are  _ you  _ doing here?”

He shrugs. [Training. Is that why you came?]

“Wh-  _ no _ , Red,” you reply, contempt tainting your answer. His eyebrows knit. Confusion seeps into his expression.

“I’m-” you tell yourself to calm down, “I came up here to bring you back.”

[Why?] he signs. He looks...  _ genuinely _ confused.

“W- why.” you echo, disbelief and frustration etching into your tone, “You haven’t even called your own  _ mother _ , Red! She had  _ no idea _ where you’ve been!  _ None _ of us have!”

He flinches, guilt briefly flashing across his face.

[Did you tell her?]

“Did I-  _ YES _ I told her! I’m not gonna let her think her son is  _ dead _ in some  _ ditch _ off Route 40!”

[Thank you]

“Oh, you’re  _ welcome! _ But come on, Red, it isn’t like you to just disappear f-”

His face darkens.

[How would you know?]

“I- what?” you ask.

[How. Would you know. What i’m “like”? The last time you “voluntarily” spoke to me as an equal, we were 7. S-E-V-E-N, Blue. But suddenly you know what I’m “like”?]

“I- wait hang on, back up, dude, it’s not like tha-”

[Not like what, Blue? Not like you’ve constantly antagonized me at every turn? Not like you tried over and over again to beat me down and K-E-E-P me there whenever you could? Cause Y-O-U were gonna be the League Champion and  **I** was doomed to a second-best life stuck in Pallet?]

“That’s not wh-”

[Oh no! Please! Correct me! Tell me, E-X-A-C-T-L-Y what it was like!]

“Oh  _ whatever _ , Red!” you bite back, “Don’t  _ pretend _ like you were affected by some teasing!  _ Anyone _ with  _ eyes _ could see you were better with Pokemon than I was! Don’t  _ pretend  _ like you didn’t notice! Even before you really started wanting to train them, they always just  _ flocked  _ to you!”

[So?]

“So-”

[So you were jealous. Is that what you’re trying to say? Cause guess what, Blue?] He walks down the incline towards you until he’s towering over you with the build only years alone on a mountain could give a person.

[You should be.]

Your eyes narrow.

“Ex _ cuse _ me?”

[Nothing.] he signs, stepping away with a shrug. [Just putting it out there: of the both of us, only one won Champion over the other. Hope your 15 seconds of fame was worth throwing me away. Goodbye, Blue.]

He turns --his pikachu following suit-- and walks in a direction that must make sense to him.

You’re so angry, you’ve lost grasp of words. You… he can’t just...

He’s walking away, but you have a reason to be here, and you’re  _ not _ breaking your promise.

“I’m not leaving you up here!” You shout after him. He walks a few more paces, then stops. “I- I promised your mom I’d bring you home! She misses you, Red!”

He rolls his head back exasperatedly and turns to face you again.

[What day is it?]

“What day is- How long have you not known what  _ day  _ it is?” You ask, astonished at how little he seems to care about losing his sense of time. He gives you a Look.

[There’s no conceivable way for me to know that] he signs. Like  _ you’re  _ the idiot here.

You groan and pull out your watch, reading the date to him. He nods.

[I’ll go back for her birthday.]

“No! I’m bringing you back  _ with me! _ ”

[I P-R-O-M-I-S-E I’ll go back for her birthday. Happy?]

“W- no! I’m n-”

[Why are you being so S-T-U-B-B-O-R-N?] He rapidly signs, huffing in frustration. [You got me to come back. Whoop-de-doo. You kept your word. Go home.]

“Not without you.”

He doesn’t move. You don’t say anything else. The two of you stand like this for awhile, challenging the other’s stare. You search his blank expression for something you can use. A shred of homesickness, an appeal to the friendship you used to have,  _ something _ to get him to see reason.

His pikachu sneezes, and you break. In the span of one flinch, he’s by its side, taking a scarf out of his bag and wrapping it around its neck before picking it up.

When he stands, he turns to you one last time.

[If you’re still around, I’ll see you on Mom’s birthday.]

After that last message, he continues wherever he was going; his pikachu happily seated on his shoulder.

“You know I’m not settling for that!” You shout after him. “I already told you what the deal is!”

He keeps going.

“I’m just gonna stand right here until you come back!”

His pikachu peeks from over his shoulder. It’s the only acknowledgement you get.

“You can’t just walk away from me, Red!”

Without turning, he signs [watch me] over his head with his free hand.

He disappears behind a tree.

“Red!” you call.

No answer.

“RED!”

…

Great.

You’re just gonna stand here. There’s no way he’d leave you for too long. Red’s always been a sucker with a heart, and he knows how stubborn you can be.

 

* * *

 

 

The sun starts setting, and you realize he’s not coming back.

It’s started snowing too, which you really should’ve expected being on a mountain and all, but it’s annoying nevertheless. Especially with how much of it there is. It’s getting hard to see Pallet from here.

Whatever. You can stay at a nearby town and climb back up tomorrow to pester him. He’ll never know you ever left the mountain.

You open your team manager to remind yourself which holder has the pokeball for the fly user you’re carryi-

Dragonite’s icon stares back at you from your “Fly User” slot.

Dragonite’s a dragon/flying type. This snow would  _ destroy _ him.

You shove the team manager back in your pocket. You can’t fly, so there’s no fast way out of here. You walked, but the sun’s setting  _ and _ the snow makes it hard to see, so you’d probably get lost trying to make your way down the mountain.

You look in the direction you think Red went. His tracks are probably covered by now, but…

You reach for the pokeball in your first carrying slot and throw it. As the scarlet beam of light shoots from the opening orb, you call its name.

“Jolteon!”

The bolt transforms, and your childhood friend bristles against the cold. It turns, looking up at you expectantly.

“Help me find Red’s pikachu!”

It nods and immediately turns a little to the left of the path you’d remembered and bounds through the snow.

You bundle your jacket closer around yourself. It’s started snowing harder.

You hurry after your jolteon.

 

* * *

 

Pikachu waddles over to you at the stove. He holds out a wooden log with a pleading look in his eyes. You smile at him, rubbing his head as you take his gift and move to go add it to the crackling fire. Mew flies themself to where you were preparing dinner to make sure it doesn’t get ruined in the few seconds you’ll be gone. Thanks, Mew.

When you get back, the soup is still intact. You smile at Mew, who looks proud of their contribution. They did a good job.

Shortly after you and Pikachu first came to this mountain together to train, you found this cottage. Abandoned for a long time, as far as you could tell, but it had working electricity, a heater, and running water, and that was good enough for the two of you.

You were surprised to find Mew a day or so after you first set up camp here. You’d been looking for Mew when you first set out for Mt. Silver, but along the way you’d learned rumors. Rumors of people who’d tried to catch Mew and never been heard from again. Thinking of that, you decided to just… keep going about cleaning the cabin and let Mew do whatever they needed and leave. They followed you around as you worked: watching you and your pokemon patch up walls and wipe down the dust-covered surfaces.

When you started pulling ingredients out of your bag to make lunch, Mew swooped in to look into your backpack. They helped rescue food from its depths for you, placing the ingredients carefully on the table.

_ Oh, _ you’d guessed at the time,  _ you must be hungry, huh? _

They looked up at you with huge blue eyes and tilted their head. You got the feeling they were.

Since then, Mew has always just sort of… shown up around the cottage, sometimes bringing berries and ingredients from unknown places for you to work with. You let your pokemon out whenever you’re in the cabin for the night, and Mew’s a great help with them: playing and relaying your thoughts for you. Not an official member of your party, more like a good roommate.

But sometimes, like when you got back to the cabin tonight, having such a powerful psychic friend around can be a bit aggravating.

Mew was there the very moment you opened the familiar wooden door. They held the pot holder you’d brought with you from home: a blue cloth square with a decal of Gyarados in the middle. They looked worried.

_ He’ll be fine, _ you thought at the psychic as you released one-by-one the party members you’d been training before you’d been so rudely interrupted,  _ he’s a big kid now. _

Mew looks unconvinced.

_ I know Blue, _ you tell them,  _ I’ve been next-door neighbors with the guy for years. He’ll pose and he’ll talk but the second the going gets rough he’ll run off. Happened back then, it’ll happen now. _

Mew had been satisfied enough at your answer to let it pass, opting instead to go play with Pikachu, but they held onto your potholder with a death grip until you’d started making dinner. Even then, you practically begged them to let you use it.

Thankfully, Mew’s always up for food, as you’re so pointedly reminded as they fly  _ almost _ too close to you when you start doling out your team’s portions. You ask them for help taking the bowls to the table, and they gladly agree, picking up the bowls with telekinesis and flying them over to the table. You chuckle, hearing the clumsy sounds of your party as they follow the smell into the dining room. Turning back to the partially-filled pot, you add the ingredients to make the stew edible for humans while Pikachu chastises Venusaur for starting to eat before you sat down with them.

 

* * *

 

You’re halfway finished with your bowl when you hear scratches at the door.

Your brows knit. Usually, mountain pokemon are smart enough to find shelter  _ before _ it starts snowing. What’s a pokemon still doing out?

Your team looks up as you stand, but you wave your hand placatingly. If whatever’s at the door is aggressive, they’ll be a room away. Most of them go back to eating, but Mew and Pikachu still look discomforted as you walk away. Mew flies into the kitchen area; Pikachu waits at the dining room’s open entrance --out of sight but close enough to jump out.

You open the door, and a yellow blur bolts past you. Your face scrunches in confusion. That’s not the color of a mountain pokemon.

When they land, they do a quick shake to get rid of the snow and turn to face you. They have yellow spiked fur with white around their neck.

(A Jolteon?) you mouth wordlessly. What’s it doing all the way up-

You’re interrupted by a tugging on your sleeve. It’s Mew. They’re holding in their other hand the blu-

Blue.

Your head snaps to Jolteon, who jumps at your feet.

He- he wouldn’t. He’s stubborn, sure, but he’s not  _ stupid. _ He wouldn’t just-

Pikachu peeks its head from the dining room entryway, and, upon seeing Jolteon, tenses for a fight. Jolteon follows your line of sight and says something to Pikachu.

They know each other.

Mew flies closer and holds the pot holder out for you. You take it, thanking the Psychic pokemon in your head, and kneel down to Jolteon’s level.

When you catch its eye, you point first to yourself, then the blue square.

The Jolteon nods, bounding past you to the door before stopping and looking back, waiting for your okay to run ahead.

You grab Charizard. He’s faster than you, and he’ll help keep you warm in the snowy weather. You think at Mew that they and Pikachu are in charge until you get back, and they give you a salute with their tail, flying to your childhood friend to tell them the update. You hop on Charizard’s back and open the door. As soon as it’s clear, Jolteon bolts forward. He doesn’t check to see if you’re following. Charizard shoots after him.

It’s snowing harder than you thought it’d be; the clouds almost completely cover the moon. Your only light is Charizard’s tail as you’re sped through the falling snow.

You wonder if you should’ve brought something to help you hold him to Charizard’s back as you shield your eyes from the biting mountain wind.

**Author's Note:**

> apparently ao3 has a horizontal bar passage break and here I've been using _tildes_ like some kind of _**idiot**_


End file.
